Sounds from the Abyss: Unearthing Forgotten Horrors

I recently had the pleasure of attending Unearthing Forgotten Horrors, a night of awesome ambiental drone / noise and classic cult british horror films. I was invited by one of the bands playing, and being a fan I felt compelled to check it out.

I am glad I did. The staff, organisers, and bands really did pull out the stops and make it an enjoyable night for all, and showcased some really interesting material. I am a fan of Sun o))) and similar bands, so finding out that local artists not only exist but play live gigs has been awesome.

Whilst I could go into reviewing the event, I’ll save the long post as this is not really the blog to do it on. The reason I mention the event is that from a purely Occult perspective, some of the bands are doing some very interesting things, similar to Cultus Sabbati to those who are familiar with that project. A notable and memorable example from just one band to illustrate is that they buried several of their electronic components used to generate the tracks, such as capacitors, in areas known to have been used as plague pits prior to use in playing/performing their tracks.

The visuals on show were also highly interesting. Some of these were more abstract than others, the powerful psychedelic imagery of Joseph Curwen and Culvers performances coming to mind from memory. I also particularly enjoyed the spoken poetry like tunes of English Heretic exploring a thematic line which revolved around witch cult leader Robert Cochrane’s suicide, coma and eventual death from Belladonna poisoning.

Suitably inspired, I created my own small tribute to the event, using a mix that was given to those who attended featuring the attendant bands. To promote them, and the weird but powerful way in which they generate their compelling sounds, I thought I would try my hand at creating my own visualisation, and contribute in my own, small way to the interesting dynamic expression on display.

I hope you enjoy!

Video

Description

‘Audio Relics was handed out at Unearthing Forgotten Horrors in Newcastle in November 2013. Audio Relics is a mix which combines numerous ambiental drone tracks from the attending artists to create one fearsome wall of noise.